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 Posted: Wed Jul 10, 2013 9:36 am
Zelcion snorted at Xellra's ridiculous idea. If the end goal was to get the damn mare to panic and back down then rattling the children would be of more benefit to them. If they seemed happy and healthy how likely would she be to believe that they were in peril? Besides, his actual brother with the heart of a real kalona was right. It would be much more enjoyable to frighten them and a lot could be achieved without killing a creature.
He voiced none of this to his brothers primarily because they were close enough that he could just make out the foals. Ignoring Xellra's "advice," Zelcion slunk along towards the children. He did not bare his teeth but he did lower his head with his ears pressed back. "What have we here?" He crooned in a way that was completely mismatched to his body-language.
The instant the voice reached them both Fletcher and Thatcher spun about with their tails flicked high. Identical green eyes darted over the approaching trio of kalona. Not a single word was spoken between the two, it wasn't needed, they both recognized a single truth at that moment: "We are in danger."
Thatcher reacted first, without much thought as was true to his nature, and blew a strong stream of air out of his nostrils before pawing at the ground aggressively. He wasn't much of a threat, he knew it and Fletcher did as well, but he had to try something. Fletcher's first thought was to run for the trees, their wings wouldn't be of much use there and the cerynei twins were well adapted for running in the woods. He wouldn't leave though, not without Thatcher. Against his better judgement Fletcher stood at his brothers side and reared up to box at the air as he had seen other stallions do before slamming his front hooves back into the ground.
"Go away!" Fletcher ordered glowering at the kalona.
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Posted: Wed Jul 10, 2013 11:44 am
Tythoss oozed out of hiding a moment behind his brother. His wide and jagged mouth opened in a toothy smirk upon finally seeing their prey fully. They looked like such delicate little things with their willowy legs. "Do you feel like going away?" Tythoss asked Zelcion with a mocking lilt. "I don't feel like going away."
There was no mistaking the menace that Tythoss represented. He eyed the two foals the way an owl might eye a mouse. "And I don't think you two should try going anywhere either."
Xellra, frustrated at the blatant lack of respect from the other two, emerged last. He took a position to one side of the foals, blocking off one more avenue of escape. His seething anger at his brothers was evident, and made him look all the more menacing. He didn't say anything just yet. He had nothing to add to the implied threats already given.
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Posted: Wed Jul 10, 2013 12:53 pm
"I like it here, but I think we should we should all go somewhere else." Zelcion said as he straightened up with a truly wicked smirk on his lips. "All of us together. I think your mother would really like to see you after all or at least our father would." Zelcion opened his eyes, a trick he had learned from his father, the sudden show of bright purple with dangerous slits often proved quite intimidating.
Thatcher snarled at all of the kalona, now surrounding them, but it was becoming more obvious that he was scared. Fletcher was frightened as well. They would both fight for each other but it was easy to see that they were outnumbered and outmatched. The two backed away as best as they could until they were pressed side-to-side, flush together. Thatcher's ears twitched at the mention of a mother. Lorenna had told them that she was looking for their mother, had she been found.
"Our...mother?" Thatcher asked, his voice shaky but still hopeful. "You found-" His words were cut off sharply as Fletcher yanked on Thatcher's short mane. Fletcher wasn't sure what was going on but if there mother had been found then he was sure that Lorenna would be here telling them and not these three.
"Leave us alone." Fletcher said still managing to be defiant even in his fear. He had to protect his brother from them no matter what.
Zelcion rolled his eyes. This was a hassle. It would be easier to just shepherd them about. They were tiny. He looked at his one true brother then nodded at the pair. "Let's move." Enough of time wasting.
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Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 2:28 pm
Xellra's ears pricked. He heard something, and it wasn't a soquili. Distracted, he stepped away a few paces from the group, staring out into the forest. What was it? A group of deer? He thought he could hear several of whatever it was, all moving together and moving towards them...
Tythoss paid no heed to the sound in the forest, too busy menacing their prey. "You heard Zel!" he snapped at them, teeth bared fearsomely. "Get your little legs moving if you want to keep them attached to your body! He took the opposite side of the foals from Zelcion, surrounding them to keep them in check.
Even as his half-brothers rounded up the foals behind him, Xellra still squinted into the green haze beyond them. There was a strange smell too now. He had smelled it before, but not often enough to have a familiarity of it. The identity was just on the tip of his tongue when suddenly he saw the creatures that had been making the sound.
"Humans!" Humans, and they were carrying their human weapons with them.
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Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 2:51 pm
Fletcher and Thatcher yelped in synch as they both tried to back away from Tythoss and his nasty jaws. They didn't get far being so close together already.
Zelcion chuckled at the twins' fear but found he didn't have long to gloat. He heard Xellra's call and not long after he saw the first of them. They came out of the trees carrying long sticks carved into points and ropes. The humans took one look at Zelcion and started jabbing at his sides. Zelcion snapped at the humans and lashed out at his tail but there was always another stick drawing out his blood or a new human to replace the one he knocked down. "Tythoss let's go!" He snapped trying to break out of the humans that were now encircling him. "Forget the foals!"
Fletcher and Thatcher hadn't stood a chance but luck was at least on their side. While they might box at the humans or kick and headbutt the humans did not perceive them as a real threat. One or two threatened the twins with a spear but none actually sought to draw blood. They were foals, small, weak and easily captured. Fletcher was taken first with a rope loops settling over his neck before being pulled sharply away from his brother. Thatcher looked on in horror before lunging to try and free Fletcher only to be yanked in the opposite direction by another rope.
"Fletcher!" Thatcher cried fighting against the rope that caught his neck. He couldn't see his brother anymore. It was just humans binding his muzzle and forcing him away.
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Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 5:21 pm
Tythoss wheeled away from the first wave of humans in a rage. What were they doing here? No one had seen any signs of humans! They wouldn't have scheduled this blasted mission here to begin with if they had thought there were humans around! He got his teeth around one spear and wrenched it from the grip of the human holding it. He tried to bite the unarmed human, but another pointed stick came in the way.
"Hey!" snarled Tythoss, surprised and angry. "Damn you all!" He snarled again as he felt something sharp sticking him from another side. There were too many of them! He kicked one down but there was another that popped up in its place. The situation had changed.
Xellra hadn't realized it, but he was actually on the far side of the attack. There were only a few humans on his side, not enough to dare try to harass a grown kalona. Xellra scared off the few that did approach with some tail lashes, but saw that his half-brothers were starting to get swarmed.
Xellra considered helping them, but only for the briefest of moments. There were simply too many humans and he had no intention of being caught along with them. He charged away from the scene, knocking down one grasping human during his retreat. He looked around for an area clear enough to take off in. The dark god Shabranigdu must have smiled upon him, because there one was.
With one last spear shooting past him, Xellra beat his wings and took to the sky.
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Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 5:35 pm
Zelcion snapped his jaws and lashed his tail. He kicked out with his forelegs and his back whenever he got a chance but it just wasn't doing any good. Whenever he made a move there was a human to counter and try to beat him into submission. He did not take kindly to their attacks but the number of injuries dotting his pelt was growing as was his weariness. Mazoku he may be but he was no spirit creature. He was alive. He grew tired and fighting like this was taking too much out of him. From the looks of it his brother Tythoss was faring no better.
But what of Xellra? Zelcion looked about wildly trying to locate their idiotic half brother only to find him airborne...and leaving them! "You coward!" Zelcion bellowed lunging to try and get through the humans, he was going to kill that b*****d half-breed.
A strange sensation passed over him. There was a whooshing sound followed by a small breeze around his head. He felt a weight settle around his neck and just as suddenly as it had appeared it was choking him like a jungle snake. He backed up trying to stop the feeling but it didn't cease and what was worse was a second snake was coiling around his neck and then a third. He didn't know what was happening only that he was being pulled in many directions and he couldn't breathe.
He heard something come at him from behind and he flicked his tail quickly. He felt it bite into something and at first he felt triumphant. That faded quickly as the squeezing sensation started coming from his tail before that was pulled out away from him as tightly as a bowstring ready to release an arrow. He was caught. Zelcion, son of Xelloss, had been captured by humans.
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Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 5:59 pm
Xellra flew so fast that the wind whistled in his ears. He didn't look back as he zoomed away. The bellows of his brothers were enough to tell him what was happening. They were caught. His dark nature found the situation a little amusing. For all the years that Tythoss and Zelcion had scoffed at him for being a halfbreed, he was the only one with functioning wings and able to escape. There was a great irony in there somewhere.
His mood grew darker as he grew closer to where he expected to find his father. Xelloss wasn't going to be happy about this. It was a travesty. It was their fault that they hadn't noticed the humans, and their fault that the mission had failed. Xellra wondered if Xelloss would leave Zelcion and Tythoss to die. That would be a mazoku sort of choice.
Spotting his father from the air, Xellra dived down for a landing. Soon he could hear familiar voices, Xelloss and the flutter. Xellra's breath caught, trying to decide how best to give the news. In the end, he decided to be as direct as possible, get it over with quickly.
"Father," he said as he emerged, interrupting whatever had been going on there first. "There were humans. They took the foals, and the others..."
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Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 6:22 pm
"They did what?" Lorenna snapped murderously. Her eyes darted back and forth between Xelloss and his child (obviously). The twins. Uwasa. Her network. Xelloss was trying to destroy everything. She wasn't going to allow it. She wouldn't let him succeed. Xelloss would fail. Xelloss and everyone despicable like him. First, however, first she needed to rescue the twins and for that she needed information. Lorenna needed birds.
"I hope you realize this is all your doing Xelloss! And I hope your "others" rot as human captives as they are undoubtedly as vile as you!" As soon as she spat out the final word Lorenna shrunk and started flying directly at the trees. Khaa. Raven. One of her spies. Any bird would do. She needed to know where the humans were stationed and any weak points and she needed to know them immediately. Xelloss and his ilk be damned. It was because of their meddling that this happened to begin with. She would make sure the innocent went free but that would be all.
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Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 6:32 pm
In the moment that Xellra said the news, Xelloss' eyes shot open in startling violet. That was... exactly what he didn't want to hear when he was crowing his victory to an opponent. "You, stay there!" he barked fiercely to Xellra. He bounded forward to keep pace with Lorenna's flying, glaring up at her with a rare sort of shared fury.
"Do you really think you can pull your twins out of there on your own?" he taunted her. "If they took my children, you don't stand a chance." He couldn't have named his motive if asked, but he didn't want to let Lorenna go just yet.
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Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 6:48 pm
Lorenna was in no mood to listen to Xelloss fearing some sort of new trap from him. Though hearing that his own children had been taken gave her cause to pause. Ordinarily she would not have stopped but there was a grain of truth in what Xelloss said. If they had his children, plural, that meant they had captured at least two partial kalona, no easy task. Even one kalona was a handful. She did not stop entirely but she did slow and sink a little in the air so that Xelloss could listen to her.
"And how exactly could you help, Xelloss? They've already caught your children and sent one running for the hills. What can you do that they can not?" She snarled angrily speaking loudly so that Xelloss could understand her small voice. "Are you offering yourself as a distraction so I can get everyone else out?" She suggested coolly. It actually wasn't a bad idea. She could send her birds to find a way in and out, let Xelloss draw off the humans, and free everyone else. Xelloss could use his time held captive to repent for all the damage he's done.
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Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 7:24 pm
"Hardly," drawled Xelloss. "But other methods of distraction are available." Xellra was one of those. Xellra had a lot to answer to after abandoning his siblings to be captured and utterly failing in his mission. If anyone was going to be doing a suicide attack into the humans, it would be Xellra.
"We could just light their camp on fire if it came to that." It was a trick he had used before to great effect. He could still remember the horror on the blue draft mare's face when he scorched her home.
Wait... "We?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 7:45 pm
Lorenna raised an eyebrow but at such a size she doubted Xelloss would be able to see it. "'We' will be doing nothing of the sort, Xelloss. Fire is reckless. It cannot be controlled and there is no telling what sort of damage. The innocent captives will be freed and I will send word to take caution when traversing this area with my network that you will never be using again!" The flutter mare glowered at hex ex-colleague. How very like the kalona to suggest something so extreme. Something that was more likely to go bad than it was to work. "I hope you understand, Xelloss. This is all your doing and I won't let you make things worse."
Lorenna took a deep breath. Being furious with Xelloss wasn't helping anything. If he was keen to help she was not in the position to refuse. Neither of them could work like this. They didn't have enough information.
"Xelloss, if you are going to help, then help. Seriously. If you try to turn this into some destructive rampage I will stop you." She fluttered close to Xelloss's face, closer than was probably safe, to look directly in his eyes. He needed to understand that she was not joking, not that it would be a large shock, she rarely joked. "W...we need information. Once we have that a plan should become clear. Understand?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2013 8:21 pm
Lorenna was right to be wary. Xelloss seriously considered biting her out of the sky and only with a force of will convinced himself not to. She was an annoying little pest. He still bared his teeth, but it was in a twisted smile rather than in a killing bite.
"Very well. See what your birds say." How it galled him to have to work together with her. He would tolerate it only because she was genuinely useful. They were both in this rather unfortunate situation together, whether they liked it or not.
"Though I would add..." He couldn't resist continuing to jab at her. "That your foals would have been taken by the humans either way. You still left them alone. Sadly, it was a poorly considered decision."
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Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 7:46 am
Lorenna nodded her head slowly as she looked at Xelloss with apprehension. It would be best to get away from him now, no one liked having their bubble invaded and there was a threat in the smile of his. Actually, he was just a threat in his entirety. She started to fly away and stopped just out of reach as he made a rather poor attempt at putting the blame for this on her.
"Xelloss, I would like to take a moment to remind you exactly why we are out here in the first place. If a certain someone had not decided to have my agent attacked just to send a fake message the three of us would have been safely with Carmine at this moment." She tossed her head slightly before flying off into the trees to convene with the birds. Poor Carmine, she had never been the same after that day. For the first few months she had behaved like a child but that energy had left her quickly. Now she spent most of her time scouting. She wondered if Xelloss cared at all about the ones he had betrayed. Lorenna doubted it.
---------------------------------
"I see." Lorenna said speaking to a pair of robins. They had volunteered themselves and their friends into Lorenna's service when they understood that she was after the humans. It seemed like they kept dogs, dogs that wanted to kill the feathered kind. The dogs weren't all the birds had told her apart, it was more enough to work out a plan but it was clear enough that she really was going to need help. She thanked the birds for their help and opted to gallop back to Xelloss rather than fly. Shrinking and flying made her a harder to hit target but it was normally a little slower than running at top speed.
She found him more or less where she had left him even though the sun was starting to set. "Xelloss, we have information enough to proceed. They have more of our kind help captive than the twins and your children but most of them are kept in a pen or tied up." She snorted slightly before continuing, "Your children seem to be tied up to trees." It really wasn't that funny but Lorenna couldn't help it, the humans were as stupid as Xelloss. They had captured horses that they couldn't possibly use. "The horses are guarded by only four humans at a time but they are still close enough to the humans' teepees that a loud guard could draw attention. We need to move quickly and quietly to get in, cut the bonds, and get out. They won't know what has happened until it's too late to catch us. No human is faster than a horse." Lorenna smiled to herself pleased at how well this seemed to be going. She frowned sharply the moment she realized that she was looking at Xelloss and not one of her friends.
This was going to be a tiring job. "No one needs to get hurt. I propose using the birds that helped me to get the humans away while we free the others."
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